Twitter dunks on conservatives who think Supergirl’s trans character is too ‘woke’

In a first for TV, the CW’s Supergirl now has a transgender superhero. Nia Nal, better known as Dreamer, debuted this past October and appears on the show as a reporter working alongside Kara “Supergirl” Danvers at CatCo.

For most Supergirl viewers, Dreamer’s trans status is a point of pride for the series, in part because trans actress Nicole Maines portrays her on the show. But not everyone is happy about Maines’ appearance and her character’s gender identity. Case in point, the Washington Examiner published a piece claiming Supergirl has a trans woman on the show “just to be ‘woke.'”

“This effort to cast a transgender character in a main role on a popular show for kids is a blatant attempt to normalize a movement,” writer Nicole Russell says in the post. “This not only fails to represent the majority of children’s experiences, but attempts to indoctrinate them at an age when they are the most impressionable.”

Of course, the Washington Examiner’s take is incredibly transphobic. Russell acts as if Supergirl is indoctrinating children and fails to acknowledge the fact that trans children are out there and real. Likewise, she also attacks Maines by unfairly claiming she has “few acting credits to her name,” as if Supergirl chose the actress solely because she’s also an activist.

“If children watch shows like this without interacting with adults about it or observing it with critical reasoning skills, they could end up more confused than inspired, more frustrated than encouraged,” Russell concludes.

Twitter quickly fired back, pointing out that the show has a trans woman… because trans women exist in the world and deserve representation.

supergirl isnt geared to kids. even if it was, its pathetic that having a transgender character bothers you. but frankly the same people complained when it was a gay character. or a black character. you're just bigoted haters who will be left behind in the dustbin of history. https://t.co/HaImHTbZho

“we must not validate the experiences of dysphoric children should they grow up to be themselves in a more safe and accepting society” TRANSGENDER HUMAN BEINGS EXIST GET TF OVER IT https://t.co/fVnZOISiml

Ana Valens is an LGBTQ reporter and essayist for the Daily Dot. Her work has previously appeared in Bitch, the Establishment, Vice's Waypoint, Rolling Stone's Glixel, and the Toast. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.